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Titanic Mistakes

There isn’t one single Titanic mistake that lead to the ship’s sinking, but rather a combination of errors, ego, and poor judgment.

Notion That The Titanic Was Unsinkable

Because of its construction of 15 watertight, separate compartments, the Titanic was thought to be “unsinkable.” Yet, in the Titanic’s design, water could travel freely from one compartment to another; whereas other ships at the time had built-in safety features to prevent this.

Sideways Gash In The Titanic

In certain respects, it might have been better if the lookout on the Titanic hadn’t seen the iceberg, which would have led to a head-on collision, but not necessarily the sinking of the Titanic. Instead, his alertness and warning prompted a quick turn, which led to the iceberg slicing a 300-foot gash across the 882 foot hull of the ship.

Insufficient Lifeboats On The Titanic

Even if the collision with the iceberg couldn’t have been avoided (a natural disaster), the fact that there were only enough lifeboats on board to save 1,178 passengers and crew, at full capacity, was man’s mistake. Given that more than 2,200 people were on board for the maiden voyage of the Titanic, clearly no one had planned for the ship to sink.

Poor Evacuation Procedures On The Titanic

Had the evacuation process been handled in a more organized, methodical manner, potentially 1,178 people would have survived the disaster. Instead, only 705 people were in the lifeboats when they were rescued by the RMS Carpathia.

What can be learned from these Titanic mistakes? Luxury and bragging rights should never trump safety and a respect for nature; and comprehensive plans need to be in place, with appropriate equipment and gear, in the event that something does go wrong.